This invention relates to relocatable buildings of the type that can be disassembled and transported in disassembled form for reuse at a new site.
Temporary buildings are used at constructions sites and at a wide variety of other locations for a wide variety of purposes. Buildings that are portable are typically transported between sites in fully assembled form, and costly transportation equipment is thus required. Another known type of portable building can be partially folded to a storage position, thereby reducing somewhat the bulk of the building during transport. However, the transportation costs are still considerable, and the building is fixed in size and cannot be used if a larger or smaller building is required at the new site. Another problem with existing portable buildings is that long braces and other complicated structural members are necessary in order to provide the building with enough strength to withstand the loads that are applied.
In the past, modular panel building systems have been proposed, some for permanent buildings and others for temporary buildings that can be easily dismantled, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,754 to R. E. Kellogg. Although the arrangement shown in the Kellogg patent is entirely satisfactory for most applications, the construction of particularly large buildings (those over about 20 feet wide) requires the use of auxiliary structures such as columns, roof purlins and/or trusses. Other known temporary buildings require like auxiliary structural members. None of the known building systems employing modular panels are capable of providing a watertight building, and inclement weather can create leakage problems.
The present invention is directed to an improved temporary building structure and has, as its primary object, the provision of a modular panel system from which a strong and watertight temporary building can be constructed. In accordance with the invention, each modular panel is rectangular and includes a rigid frame formed by three steel angles and a channel member. Secured to the frame of each panel is a ribbed steel sheet which, along with the sturdy frame, provides improved strength characteristics that eliminate the need for special structural members when large buildings are erected. The sheet of each panel includes a projecting rib that overlaps with the first rib of the adjacent panel so that watertight joints are provided when the panels are bolted together and assembled during erection of the building. The unique construction of the panels permits them to be stacked in a compact arrangement for storage and transport.